The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1887-12-30
THE SLEEP OF CHILDREN.

child should be in bed as the fowls
are, at snndown at least. And he should
be allowed to rise in the morning as soon
| as he wakes. 1t is not only torture but an
unhealthy mischief to compel children to
lie in bed awake two hours to prevent dis
tnrbing Older people. The morning sun is
most essential to plant life. A conserva-
tory should always, if possible, be on the
east side of a house. 1t is equally true
| that the morning sun is most valuable for
animal vigor, and that includes human
| beings. We, all of us, are breaking both
ends Of the law. Our sleep should be
taken earlier. and we should never fail of
getting the morning sun.
abominate night parties for children.
believe every physician does 1t is not
so much the exposure, and the eating in
the night, and the bad associations formed
(of heightened sort, possibly) but the
breaking into the sleep habit. Equally
bad it is for children to study in the even
ing. 1t gorges their brains with blood,
and if they sleep they dream ! had lit
tie patient of twelve years, who was vast.
ed and nervous and whose dreams were
filled with his problems 1t was a marvel
and pride to his parents that The youhgster
worked out hard problems in his sleep,
such as he failed to master when awake
But he came near his final problem. /
locked up his books at 4 o'clock. He must
not touch one after his supper. He must
play and romp, and then go to bed He is
now robust. You cannot emphasize too
strongly the mischief of childrens night
study.
Whatever stolid lot of animal natures
can do our American children are sensitive
and cannot do--that is sleep safely two in
A bed No matter in what else You econo-
mize there is criminal folly in economic
ing beds. Every person needs his own
bed more than he needs his own chair or
his own plate at table. And the best bed
in the world is good bed of fresh straw
covered with plenty of quilts. No child
should be allowed to sleep on feathers. or
animal refuse of any sort. But to sleep
two in bed is a vital damage. One is
sure to absorb the electric energy OF the
other What We must look for is to aceu-
mulate constitution for the child, and es-
tablish stout conservative tendency
Our American life will be sure to make
heavy drafts ON him. If he has no capital
he can pay no interest. This habit of
sleeping alone shonld be retained through
life under all circumstances. More mis-
Chief as we'll as immortality, comes from
the opposite course than from any other
common habit
A good deal of nonsense is sometimes
published about sending children to bed
with full stomachs. This is well enough
so long as babe is an animal, and has not
awakened to much use of the brain; but as
soon as child has come to an age of ac-
tive thought he should have chance for
light exercise and sport after his meals;
never, however, allowing him to go to bed
excited. Above all things to be depre-
Gated is the stormy season so frequently
INDUCED in just at retiring. The child
prefers to sit mp, and invariably retires in a
storm of passion, added to by the storm Of
nurse or parent. He should be calmly and
firmly restrained from all such outbreaks.
There is a great difference in children
about retiring; some very active brains
grow sleepy and desire to retire early;
others equally active grow wakeful and ex-
cited 81. [0nis Gl0be Democrat